Apparatus for interconnecting a handle and a lever arm

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for interconnecting with a lanyard a handle and lever arm of the type used in rapid inflation applications includes apparatus for impaling a first end of a lanyard with multiple spikes to secure the first end to a handle and further includes apparatus for sandwiching the second end of the lanyard between a plug and a bore formed in the lever arm. The lanyard handle is made with a channel having spike-receiving cavities along its extent, and the spikes on a spike-carrying strip impale the first end of the lanyard when the strip is press fit into the channel. At the opposite end of the lanyard, the bore and plug are frusto-conical in configuration so that pulling on the lanyard exerts a wedging action between the plug and bore to tighten the grip on the second end of the lanyard.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/024,578, filed on Mar.1, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,685.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates, generally, to apparatus and methods forattaching lanyards in interconnecting relation between preselectedarticles of manufacture. More particularly, it relates to apparatus andmethods for interconnecting with a lanyard a handle and lever arm of thetype used in rapid inflation equipment.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Life preservers and other flotation devices that require rapid inflationtypically rely on the quick release of compressed carbon dioxide intothe article to be inflated. In many devices, a user of the equipmentpulls on a handle to effect the inflation. Typically, a lanyardinterconnects the handle and a pivotally mounted lever arm so that thelever arm pivots when the handle is pulled. The pivoting of the leverarm drives a pin through a membrane in a carbon dioxide cartridge,thereby releasing said gas into the inflatable article.

Obviously, if the lanyard separates from either the handle or the leverarm when the handle is pulled, the lever arm will not pivot and thearticle will not be inflated. Thus, inventors have devised severalmethods of attachment to ensure that the opposite ends of the lanyardwill remain connected to the handle and lever arm, respectively, whenthe former is pulled.

The most effective apparatus and method heretofore developed forsecuring a lanyard to a handle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,546 tothe present inventor, entitled "Lanyard-Gripping Handle," and the mosteffective method and apparatus for securing a lanyard to a lever arm isshown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,134 to the present inventor, entitled"Method For Securing A Lanyard To An Inflator Lever Arm." In thelanyard-to-handle method, a first end of the lanyard is positioned insandwiched relation between two mold parts for making the handle, andsaid first end is forced to follow a serpentine path of travel by aplurality of plugs placed along the extent of the mold. Thus, when themolding process is completed and the plugs removed, the lanyard ismolded between the lanyard halves in a serpentine configuration so thatit can not be pulled therefrom. A similar process is followed at thelever arm end of the assembly. Capital-intensive because the molds arelarge and expensive. What is needed, then, is a method that would bemore labor-intensive so that the cost of molds and the size of themolding machine could be reduced. However, the prior art, whenconsidered as a whole, neither taught nor suggested to those of ordinaryskill in this art at the time the present invention was made, how theneeded method could be provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A channel is formed coincident with the longitudinal axis of symmetry ofa lanyard handle and a plurality of longitudinally spaced apartspike-receiving cavities are formed in the bottom of said channel. Aseparate spike-carrying strip carries spikes that enter their associatedcavities when the strip is positioned in the channel. To secure a firstend of a lanyard to the handle, the lanyard is manually positioned inthe channel, and the strip is driven into the channel in overlyingrelation to the lanyard so that the spikes carried by saidspike-carrying strip are driven through the lanyard, impaling it, andinto their respective cavities.

The lever arm to which the second end of the lanyard is attached isbored to receive said opposite end therein. The bore is enlarged nearthe pivotally secured end of the lever arm, and a plurality of teeth areformed in the interior walls of said bore. A plug that mates with thatbore has mating teeth formed in its outer surface, and the second end ofthe lanyard is positioned between the teethed walls of the enlarged boreand the teethed surface of the plug. Thus, when the plug is driven intothe enlarged bore, said second end of the lanyard is tightly trappedtherebetween.

Thus, it is clear that the primary object of this invention is toadvance the art of lanyard attachment by disclosing a new method thatdoes not rely upon expensive molds.

A closely related object is to disclose a lanyard attachment method thatis more labor intensive than the known prior art methods.

Another object is to provide a method that secures the opposite ends ofthe lanyard just as tightly, if not more tightly, than the methodsheretofore developed.

These and other important objects, features and advantages of theinvention will become apparent as this description proceeds.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the novel lanyard handle of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of said handle when a lanyard is positionedthe channel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of said handle, taken along line 3--3 in FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of said handle;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the novel spike-carrying strip;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a lanyard having spikes driven thereinto;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the novel lever arm;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of said novel lever arm;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of said lever arm; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the enlarged bore and the plug forretaining the lanyard within said lever arm.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the severalviews of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, it will there be seen that the novel lanyardhandle is denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 10. Handle 10 hasa flat main body part denoted 12 that is circumscribed by a bead 14. Acentral, upraised ridge member 16 is formed along the longitudinal axisof symmetry of handle 10, as perhaps best understood in connection withFIG. 2. Ridge 16 could be obviated by making handle 10 uniformly thick,but the flat main body part 12 is made thin to conserve materials, andthat expediency mandates the provision of the ridge. Ridge 16 has anelongate channel 18 of predetermined width formed therein along itslength, and equidistantly-spaced spike-receiving cavities 20 are formedalong the bottom of said channel in open communication therewith.

FIG. 2 depicts a lanyard 30 positioned in overlying relation to channel20. Note that the leading end of the lanyard lies flush with the wideleading end of the handle 10. No lanyard extends beyond said leading endas in prior art assemblies; accordingly, lanyard material is not wastedand no time is required to trim off excess lanyard as required by theteachings of the prior art.

A spike-carrying strip 22, shown in FIG. 5, includes an elongate base 22from which depend, at equidistantly spaced intervals, spikes 26.Spike-carrying strip 22 has about the same predetermined width andextent of channel 18 and is therefor snugly received within said channel18 when the novel lanyard handle is assembled, and spikes 26 arereceived within spike-receiving cavities 20 at said time.

Prior to inserting strip 22 into said channel 18, lanyard 30 is placedinto overlying relation to said channel, as depicted in FIG. 2. Strip 22is then placed into alignment therewith, and spikes 26 are driventhrough lanyard 30 and into cavities 20. The effect this impaling of thelanyard has on it is depicted in FIG. 6; note how the lanyard 30 expandstransversely in the vicinity of each spike 26. Since lanyard 30substantially occupies said channel 18 before the spikes are driventhrough it, this spreading causes a very tight fit between the sidewallsof the channel 18 and the lanyard, thereby ensuring against retractionof the lanyard. Tests have shown that the force resisting retraction ofthe lanyard is at least as great as the retraction-resisting forceprovided by the above-mentioned molded anti-retraction means.

Turning now to FIGS. 7-10, it will there be seen that the opposite endof lanyard 30 is received within elongate, uniform diameter bore 40formed within lever arm 42. Bore 40 is enlarged as at 44 near thepivotally-secured end of the lever arm. Note the shoulder where thefirst and second parts 40, 44 of the bore meet one another. Teeth 46circumscribe the interior walls of bore 44 and engage complementallyformed teeth 48 formed on the external surface of flat, wedge shapedplug 50. As clearly shown in FIG. 10, lanyard 30 is first brought intoenlarged bore 44 and positioned near a sidewall thereof so that saidbore can accommodate plug 50; when plug 50 is introduced into bore 44,it presses lanyard 30 to one side as shown, thereby tightly capturing itin the manner depicted. Note that the lanyard has a first substantiallyninety degree radially outwardly directed bend formed therein at theradially innermost end of said shoulder, and a second substantiallyninety degree longitudinally directed bend formed at the radiallyoutermost end of said shoulder. Teeth 46 and 48 interlock to ensureagainst retraction plug 50 from bore 44. The flat, wedge shape of bore44 and plug 50 ensure that when lanyard 30 is pulled in the directionindicated by directional arrow 52, plug 50 will be pulled into eventighter relation to bore 44 and the grip on lanyard 30 will strengthen.

In this manner, the opposite ends of lanyard 30 are securely retainedwithin the lanyard handle and lever arm, and the inflation mechanismwill not fail as a result of lanyard separation from either of two saidparts.

This invention is clearly new and useful. Moreover, it was not obviousto those of ordinary skill in this art at the time it was made, in viewof the prior art considered as a whole as required by law.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those madeapparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained andsince certain changes may be made in the above construction withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatters contained in the foregoing construction or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for attaching a lanyard to a leverarm, comprising:a lever arm having a free end and a pivotally securedend; said lever arm having a lanyard-receiving bore formed therein alongits extent said lanyard-receiving bore being substantially coincidentwith a longitudinal axis of symmetry of said lever arm; saidlanyard-receiving bore having a first part of circular cross-section anda second part of flat, wedge-shaped cross-section; a shoulder beingdefined in said lever arm where said first part and said second part ofsaid bore meet one another; a plug having a flat, wedge-shapedconfiguration adapted to fit snugly within said second part of said borefrom said pivotally secured end; said lanyard following a straight pathof travel through said first part of said bore, said lanyard having afirst substantially ninety degree bend formed therein at a radiallyinnermost end of said shoulder so that said lanyard extends radiallyoutwardly in overlying relation to said annular shoulder, and saidlanyard having a second substantially ninety degree bend formed thereinat a radially outermost end of said annular shoulder so that saidlanyard follows a path of travel that diverges from said longitudinalaxis of symmetry of said lever arm as said lanyard extends from saidshoulder to said pivotally secured end of said lever arm; whereby anexternally imparted force acting substantially along the longitudinalaxis of symmetry of said lanyard in a direction away from said pivotallysecured end effects tightening of said plug and hence of said lanyardwithin said flat, wedge-shaped bore and along said shelf.